ABC Afterschool Specials
(1972)Streaming Episode Guide
Season 25 | Season 24 | Season 23 | Season 22 | Season 21 | Season 20 | Season 19 | Season 18 | Season 17 | Season 16 | Season 15 | Season 14 | Season 13 | Season 12 | Season 11 | Season 10 | Season 9 | Season 8 | Season 7 | Season 6 | Season 5 | Season 4 | Season 3 | Season 2 | Season 1 | Specials | Top 5 Episodes
Season 24
Positive: A Journey Into AIDS
Episode 2 - 12-07-1995
Positive: A Journey Into AIDS is a 1995 documentary directed by Eamon Harrington and John Watkin. It was produced for the ABC Afterschool Special series. It followed actors Michael Sutton and Kimberly McCullough, who played Stone Cates and Robin Scorpio, respectively, as they researched HIV and AIDS for their roles as HIV+ teenagers on the long-running ABC daytime serial General Hospital.
7.5/10
Haven't Seen
Season 22
Notes for My Daughter
Episode 4 - 4-06-1995
Haven't Seen
Bonnie Raitt Has Something to Talk About
Episode 3 - 3-16-1995
Haven't Seen
Boys Will Be Boys
Episode 1 - 9-15-1994
A high-school sophomore has her reputation tarnished by some male students who scrawl malicious graffiti about her in the boys' restroom.
6.9/10Haven't Seen
Season 21
I Hate the Way I Look
Episode 3 - 3-21-1994
Haven't Seen
Montana Crossroads
Episode 2 - 12-09-1993
An art student enters the breach between her controlling mother and her stubborn, aging grandfather during a stay at her grandfather's Montana ranch.
5.6/10Haven't Seen
Love Hurts
Episode 1 - 9-16-1993
Haven't Seen
Season 19
Stood Up
Episode 3 - 12-06-1990
1h 0m
A teen-aged girl attempts to get even with her boyfriend who stood her up on prom night by suing him for the cost of the dress. When the small claims court docket is full, she takes her case to a high school student court.
6.9/10Haven't Seen
A Question About Sex
Episode 1 - 9-13-1990
1h 0m
A Question About Sex is a TV episode of ABC Afterschool Special.
5.5/10Haven't Seen
Season 18
The Perfect Date
Episode 6 - 4-19-1990
1h 0m
A 16-year-old student is convinced his upcoming date with the school prom queen will be the perfect date. However it turns out to be anything but the perfect date.
6.3/10Haven't Seen
Over the Limit
Episode 5 - 3-23-1990
High school student Matt Thompson (Keith Coogan) must decide whether or not to come forward with the truth about a tragic drunk-driving accident. Co-starring Sam Rockwell.
Haven't Seen
My Dad Can't Be Crazy, Can He?
Episode 1 - 9-14-1989
1h 0m
A 16-year-old high school student tries to cope with his schizophrenic father's behavior, which takes its toll on his schoolwork, activities and reputation.
6.5/10Haven't Seen
Season 17
The Cheats
Episode 6 - 3-30-1989
Three girls steal the answers to their final exam. When the headmistress finds out, she gives those responsible one-day to confess. After that anyone participating in the cover-up will be expelled.
6.1/10Haven't Seen
Just Tipsy, Honey
Episode 5 - 3-16-1989
1h 0m
A teenage girl is in total denial about her mother's drinking problem.
7.5/10Haven't Seen
Season 16
The Terrible Things My Mother Told Me
Episode 5 - 1-20-1988
Terrible Things My Mother Told Me is a 1988 TV film starring Nicole Andrews, Ita DeMarco, Carol Goodheart, Beth Howland and Stephen James. This TV film is about a 16-year-old girl who doesn't realize that her mother is emotionally and verbally abusive to her. It was directed by Susan Rohrer and written by John Alan Palmer, Christopher Whitesell and Susan Rohrer. It aired on ABC.
6.7/10Haven't Seen
Season 15
Wanted: The Perfect Guy
Episode 2 - 10-01-1986
1h 0m
A teen-aged boy and his girlfriend secretly place personal ads for his divorced mother, Ellie, in an effort to find Mr. Right. The two screen potential dates, but none of them seem right for Ellie. In the end, it is Ellie who finds the man who she deems ""the perfect guy.
5.1/10Haven't Seen
Season 14
Don't Touch
Episode 3 - 11-06-1985
1h 0m
A teen-aged girl named Karen Anderson suspects that Molly Stewart, the 6-year-old girl she is baby-sitting, is behaving quite strangely around an adult friend of the Stewarts. Turns out that the man is likely molesting Molly. Karen tries to bring the matter to the Stewarts' attention, but they only take action when it is almost too late. This special takes a look at child molestation and explores the warning signs people should notice.
7.7/10Haven't Seen
Season 13
One Too Many
Episode 7 - 5-01-1985
30m
Four high school friends find their lives changed forever when one of the friends drives drunk with devastating results.
6.7/10Haven't Seen
The Almost Royal Family
Episode 3 - 10-24-1984
52m
The Almost Royal Family is an American television teen comedy that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on October 23, 1984. The program was based on the 1973 novel Meanwhile, Back At the Castle, by Hope Campbell.
6.9/10Haven't Seen
Season 11
The Wave
Episode 8 - 3-30-1983
The Wave, is a short made-for-TV movie directed by Alex Grasshoff, based on Ron Jones' The Third Wave experiment. Though more prominently featured as an episode of the ABC Afterschool Special series, this show debuted October 4, 1981, almost two years before being featured in the Afterschool Special series.
It starred Bruce Davison as the teacher Ben Ross, a character based on Jones.
A novelization of the film The Wave, was released in the same year. Ron Jones' writings and Johnny Dawkins' screenplay were also basis of the 2008 German film The Wave
8.7/10Haven't Seen
Please Don't Hit Me, Mom
Episode 4 - 1-19-1983
Please Don't Hit Me, Mom is a TV episode that was nominated for Outstanding Children's Program in the 34th Primetime Emmy Awards.
7.3/10Haven't Seen
Two Loves for Jenny
Episode 2 - 10-27-1982
1h 0m
A teen violinist is torn between her musical career and her boyfriend. (Also knowns as "Between Two Loves")
6.6/10Haven't Seen
Season 10
Sometimes I Don't Love My Mother
Episode 7 - 4-07-1982
Haven't Seen
The Color of Friendship
Episode 4 - 11-11-1981
1h 0m
The Color of Friendship is a 1981 film shown as part of the ABC Afterschool Special series. It's about the friendship between two 13-year-old boys, one black and one white, in a small town that has just started integrating its schools.
8.6/10Haven't Seen
Tough Girl
Episode 3 - 10-28-1981
1h 0m
After juvenile delinquent Renie Lake is caught dealing drugs in a stolen van, she is court ordered to live with her father and rigid step-family. Despite living with a family that seems to dislike her, she re-enrolls in High School and befriends a hearing-impaired girl.
7.4/10Haven't Seen
Starstruck
Episode 2 - 10-14-1981
1h 0m
Aspiring teen folk singer is torn whether to continue her singing or to accept an educational scholarship.
7.3/10Haven't Seen
She Drinks a Little
Episode 1 - 9-23-1981
1h 0m
""She Drinks a Little"" ... or does she a lot, lot more? That's what Cindy's friends try to convince her as she denies that her mother may be a flat-out alcoholic. Eventually, Cindy sees that her mother indeed has a serious drinking problem and needs help. This ABC Afterschool Special showcases Alateen, the national support group for teenagers with alcoholic family members.
7.5/10Haven't Seen
Season 9
My Mother Was Never a Kid
Episode 7 - 3-16-1981
46m
My Mother Was Never a Kid is an American television teen fantasy/comedy/drama that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on March 16, 1981. It was based on the 1977 Francine Pascal novel Hangin' Out With CiCi, which in turn was the first teen novel in the "Victoria Martin" trilogy series. It was also the first of two Pascal teen novels that were adapted into Afterschool Specials for the network, the other being The Hand-Me-Down Kid.
7.1/10Haven't Seen
Schoolboy Father
Episode 2 - 10-15-1980
1h 0m
High school senior discovers his summer girlfriend has given birth to his child, and decides to fight for custody.
7.4/10Haven't Seen
A Family of Strangers
Episode 1 - 9-24-1980
A widower's two teen-aged daughters resent their father's remarriage to a single mother, especially since the woman's 12-year-old daughter (who is several years younger) will now compete for the parents attention. This special focuses on the parents' attempts to unite the new stepsisters into a loving family.
7.7/10Haven't Seen
Season 8
What Are Best Friends For?
Episode 8 - 3-19-1980
Haven't Seen
Where Do Teenagers Come From?
Episode 7 - 3-05-1980
1h 0m
Where Do Teenagers Come From? was an American television teen comedy/documentary that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on March 5, 1980. The live action/animation program was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and was a sequel to the 1977 program My Mom's Having a Baby. The special was notable for its signature song "Growing Up," written by Doug Goodwin.
6.4/10Haven't Seen
Dinky Hocker
Episode 5 - 12-12-1979
1h 0m
Dinky Hocker is an American television teen comedy/drama that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on December 12, 1979. It was based on the 1972 novel Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack by M.E. Kerr.
6.6/10Haven't Seen
A Special Gift
Episode 3 - 10-04-1979
Haven't Seen
Season 6
The Pinballs
Episode 2 - 10-26-1977
45m
Three diverse kids with different outlooks on life are sent to a foster home until family problems can be worked out.
7.8/10Haven't Seen
Season 5
My Mom's Having a Baby
Episode 4 - 2-16-1977
My Mom's Having a Baby is an American television teen comedy/documentary that aired as an ABC Afterschool Special on February 16, 1977. The program would be historic as it was the first television program of its kind in the United States to showcase the pregnancy process and conception to young people, using a combination of animation and live action. The program was a co-production between Dick Clark Productions and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises.
8.3/10Haven't Seen
P.J. and the President's Son
Episode 2 - 11-10-1976
47m
Update of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. Delivery boy and President's son discover they are exact doubles of one another, and decide to swap identities.
5.8/10Haven't Seen
Francesca, Baby
Episode 1 - 10-06-1976
45m
Semi-standard ABC Afterschool Special about Francesca James, a teenage daughter dealing with her alcoholic mother through the support group Ala-Teen.
7.6/10Haven't Seen
Season 4
The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon
Episode 4 - 2-04-1976
46m
This cute story centers around an insecure 6th grader, Duffy Moon (played by Ike Eisenmann), whose discovery of ""Cosmic Awareness"" leads him on a journey to self-discovery and confidence that he can do anything.
7.7/10Haven't Seen
Season 2
The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head
Episode 6 - 5-15-1974
1h 0m
Two youngsters are shrunk so they can enter their teenage sister's head, and discover how the mind works.
6.9/10Haven't Seen
Pssst! Hammerman's After You
Episode 3 - 1-16-1974
1h 0m
A small-for-his-age sixth-grade student and his wild attempts to flee a bully after word gets around he thinks of him as a Neanderthal.
7.1/10Haven't Seen
My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel
Episode 2 - 11-28-1973
1h 0m
Divorce, as seen through the eyes of a young boy. The youngster - whose father has been ordered out of the house and is forced to take up permanent residence in a downtown hotel - is traumatized by the imminent divorce, and it is up to his loved ones to help him cope.
6.1/10Haven't Seen
Season 1
The Incredible, Indelible Magical, Physical Mystery Trip
Episode 5 - 2-07-1973
A partially-animated special about two youngsters who are miniaturized, then travel through their Uncle's body to understand more about his health.
7.7/10Haven't Seen
William
Episode 4 - 1-03-1973
1h 0m
Introduces William Shakespeare to young people through sketches, readings and music.
6.7/10Haven't Seen
Top 5 Highest Rated Episodes 8.7/10 8.6/10
The Wave
Episode 8 - 3-30-1983
The Wave, is a short made-for-TV movie directed by Alex Grasshoff, based on Ron Jones' The Third Wave experiment. Though more prominently featured as an episode of the ABC Afterschool Special series, this show debuted October 4, 1981, almost two years before being featured in the Afterschool Special series.
It starred Bruce Davison as the teacher Ben Ross, a character based on Jones.
A novelization of the film The Wave, was released in the same year. Ron Jones' writings and Johnny Dawkins' screenplay were also basis of the 2008 German film The Wave
8.7/10Haven't Seen
The Color of Friendship
Episode 4 - 11-11-1981
1h 0m
The Color of Friendship is a 1981 film shown as part of the ABC Afterschool Special series. It's about the friendship between two 13-year-old boys, one black and one white, in a small town that has just started integrating its schools.
8.6/10Haven't Seen
